What to do when you have a sudden water damage occurrence

When faced with a sudden water damage situation, first try to stay calm… then, CALL US. Second, and at all cost, avoid any potential safety hazards (e.g. shock/electrocution and potential overhead collapse situations). Third, call us for a free water damage inspection. Once on site, we’ll provide a detailed estimate to repair your damage.

What do you do until help arrives? If there’re ZERO safety hazards, it’s best to secure furniture (e.g. foil tabs or wood/foam blocks under footings) as well as important paper items that are wet (e.g. separate carefully and lay out or freeze quickly). Fast action is crucial and may save you thousands of dollars in unnecessary repairs. Our professional water damage experts are ready 24 hours a day and all year round. By calling Service Experts, you’ll always have access to help when you need it. So please don’t hesitate to call.

What’s the best way to clean up standing water?

The best way to clean up standing water depends on what your cleaning it off of. For example, if you need to remove a lot of water from carpet, you’ll need a high powered wet-vac system and weighted extraction tools. If you need to extract water off tile or concrete (depending on the amount) a mop and bucket might do the trick.

If it’s a large amount of water, you need an industrial wet-vac or special truck-mounted water extraction equipment. Smaller areas may require just a few towels. Because each situation is different, it’s best to know what you’re doing and to have the right equipment for any task. That’s why calling our company is a good idea. We’ll have all that’s needed to assist you with any structural water damage situation.

After water extraction, what more is needed?

After addressing safety hazards, securing contents, and extracting water, the job isn’t done just yet. Actually, the restoration process has just begun. Because properties have a multitude of very porous materials, its crucial to identify exactly what was impacted. Drywall is one example of a material that soaks water up quickly. Baseboards, insulation, particleboard (cabinet panels, sub-flooring, etc.), and even tile wick up moisture quickly. We have moisture meters and water detection equipment (e.g. thermal imaging cameras) which locate hidden pockets of moisture.

Cleaning up water damage on your own.

Every water damage situation is different. The amount of saturation, the materials impacted, the category of water (e.g. 1, 2, or 3), how long the materials have been wet, the cost to dry vs. replacement, and many other factors must be considered before attempting to restore it yourself.

Without proper drying equipment, training, and knowledge, drying a home can be quite difficult. Do it yourself drying is typically for very small areas affected by a clean water source and where no high end finishes were affected. It’s highly recommended to contact a professional when dealing with sewage water, flood water, mold, wood flooring, wet cabinets, wet ceilings, entire walls that are wet, or flooded duct-work.

Should I file a claim for water damage restoration services?

Filing a claim can be both a good thing and a bad thing. It can be a good thing when it’s actually needed. It can be a bad thing if it was filed for something small or gets denied due to lack of coverage. Before filing a water damage claim you should discuss the situation with your insurance agent. They’ll be best qualified to help you make this decision. Some factors that can weigh on the decision are the amount of damage sustained, the category of water damage, when the water damage occurred, where the damage came from (the source of the leak), is visual mold present in the areas affected, the cost of repair vs. your deductible amount, and what a claim will do to your premium just to name a few.

Should a claim be your best option, a good water damage restoration company can guide you through the process. We are that company. We’ll be in contact with your adjuster from start to finish. In most cases we’ll bill your insurance direct using specific insurance billing software for the services we provide.